Fun Spring Perennials

Ideas from Better Homes & Gardens Plant Encyclopedia

Spring is here, and what better way to welcome the new season than with a beautiful garden? But if you have a busy schedule (or not the best history with growing plants), try one that’s low maintenance or a perennial! A few hours of digging and watering today will reap your home many years of splendor.

Aster

Asters get their name from the Latin word for “star,” and their flowers are indeed the superstars of the fall garden. Some types of this native plant can reach up to 6 feet with flowers in white and pinks but also, perhaps most strikingly, in rich purples and showy lavenders.

Height: 1 to 8 feet

Pro: Drought Tolerant

Special Feature: Attracts Birds

Avens

Showy, brightly colored flowers are saucer-shape, sometimes semidouble, over loose mounds of handsome dark strawberry like leaves. Many of the best cultivars are hybrids between species. These plants do best in a well-drained, rich soil.

Height: 6 inches to 3 feet

Pro: Good for Containers

Bellflower

Romantic, usually bobbing, often blue bellflowers are classic cottage garden plants. Tall types look like something straight out of a fairy tale garden, while ground-hugging types are good in rock gardens, more formal gardens, and many other situations.

Height: 6 inches to 3 feet

Pro: Drought Tolerant

Bluestar

Amsonia is one of those plants that will make people stop in their tracks and ask what it is. At its peak in mid- to late spring, amsonia is adorned by stunning clusters of powder blue flowers. The show doesn’t stop there, however. Its mound of foliage remains attractive all summer long, and as fall approaches, it turns a lovely golden hue.